STANLEY STEAMED CRAB??? Many of you geocachers may not have heard of, much less
enjoyed, a “steamed crab.” Here in the
State of Maryland in Americay steamed blue crabs are almost a religion! In short, blue crabs (which are sometimes
called “hard crabs” and inhabit the Chesapeake Bay, as well as other coastal
areas of the USA) are placed live in a big pot, layered with Old Bay seasoning
(the more the better!), and steamed until ready for consumption. The crabs are dumped in a pile onto a table
covered with newspaper or packaging paper, and are pulled apart and picked of
their good meat by happy devourers usually armed with small wooden mallets and
kitchen knives—at least that’s how we did it in my family! The tender white meat of the steamed crabs
is a sheer delight, especially when coupled with the Old Bay seasoning and a
little bit of “mustard” from their innards.
Yep, I know this has gotta sound barbaric to many of you, but you just
don’t know what you’re missing unless you’ve tried them! By the way, the chosen beverage of choice
when eating steamed crabs is ice cold beer, with the traditional Bawlmer
(Baltimore) brew “Natty Boh” (National Bohemian) being the choice of many an
old-timer!
STANLEY’S STORY: Stanley Steamed Crab inadvertently
got himself wedged in the rudder of a trans-Atlantic ship (maybe even a
steamer!). Unable to extract himself in
a timely manner, he became dismayed to find that the ship was leaving his
familiar waters of home (Baltimore, Maryland USA), and was steaming down the
Chesapeake Bay and into the cold Atlantic Ocean! Poor Stanley despaired and panicked, finally passing out as a
result of the alarming situation. When
at last Stanley woke up on a rocky coast, he thought to himself “could it all
have been a nasty nightmare?” Looking
around, Stanley quickly became aware that he was NOT lying on the Maryland
shoreline, but was rather on the strand of some mist-shrouded, windswept land
far, far from home . . . for Stanley had somehow washed up on the shores of
bonnie old Scotland!
MAY 2006 UPDATE- STANLEY DOES EUROPE: Stanley doesn't seem too eager to come back to Maryland and face the steaming pot anytime soon, and is instead enjoying his jaunt through Europe. Please remember that he's a water-loving travel bug, and try not to leave him high and dry too often. Take some photos of his travels if you get the chance, please!